iPhone fans reveal worrying app stats

Are UK techies 'download happy'? Research this morning in the queue for the iPhone 4S seems to confirm this diagnosis

By
Michael Burns
| 14 Oct 11

It wasn't just the hardy Macworld team who were up with the larks for the iPhone 4S launch. Researchers for CoPilot Live, the navigation app, were also at Apple's flagship Regent Street store this morning to survey the first 100 people in the queue. They wanted to discover what discerning fans really want on the latest iPhone.

The results indicate that tech-loving Britons (or at least those queuing for an iPhone) love downloading apps, with 68% of the queue having between 50 – 100 apps on their phone. However when it comes to using them 80% use less than ten on a daily basis.

So why did they brave the early morning queue to get their hands on the new device? 30% just wanted to get the latest iPhone, while 22% were drawn to the improved camera and 16% were buying due to the faster processing.

The top five types of app the members of the queue are likely to download by sector are:

Games (26%)

Messaging (24%)

News (21%)

Shopping (10%)

Travel / Navigation (8%)

David Quin from CoPilot Live said he was amazed at the enthusiasm for the iPhone 4S today. "We know from the feedback this morning that many fans are as keen as ever to stay up-to-date with the latest iPhone, and apps are playing a big part of that," he said. "It seems that while the UK is a 'download happy' nation when it comes to getting apps, in fact only a small proportion of these are being used frequently and bringing real value to users."